THE GAO PROTEST: I’ve been covering Pentagon acquisition policy for more than 15 years and this is a first for me. The Government Accountability Office offers below a critique of Bill Greenwalt’s sharp criticism of a recent GAO protest decision. For those of us who watch Pentagon procurement, most protests are obscure and boring. Then come ones…

Sharpening Our Military Edge: The NDS and the Full Continuum of ConflictBy Frank Hoffman, Small Wars Journal: “Some even suggest that the Pentagon reflexively yearns for a large conventional threat, so it can get back to what it wants to, fighting peers and justifying its technologically oriented hardware programs. This oversimplifies the underlying assessment of the future environment in the strategy and misreads the strategy’s explicit appreciation of the various dimensions of great power competition.”

Innovation Matters – Part III By Colin Supko, Proceedings Magazine: “This innovative plan is a huge step in the right direction, and the document highlights the pain points businesses face when attempting to innovate for and sell to DOD.”

U.S., NORWAY: Joint Strike Missile Enters Final Development Phase By Robin Hughes, IHS Jane's 360: “In a first end-to-end flight test for the missile, a JSM equipped with a live warhead was launched from a legacy F-16C/D Fighting Falcon from the US Air Force’s 445th Flight Test Group against a ‘realistic’ land target at the Utah Test and Training Range in the United States.

Army Futures Command Finds a Home By Jen Judson & Leo Shane III, Defense News: “The new Army Futures Command (AFC) will be in Austin, Texas, congressional sources, who are now being notified of the choice, have confirmed.

Army Modernization Needs Experimental ForceBy Doug Macgregor, Breaking Defense: “Soldiers already know what is required: integrate new but mature technologies inside new maneuver formations at progressively lower levels within a Joint command and control structure, one that combines and assimilates powerful capabilities across service lines quickly and effectively. "

The U.S. Army Culture is French! By Donald E. Vandergriff, Small Wars Journal: “The U.S. Army culture, while it aspires to adopt a concept originating in German military thought, has in reality cultivated a culture that more closely emulates the French Army culture during the interwar period (1918-1939).”

RUSSIA: Russia's New Hypersonic Missile Armed Nuclear Submarine Class From Military Watch: “In the aftermath of Russia's announcement of the imminent induction of new strategic hypersonic weapons systems in March 2018, reports have emerged that Moscow is also planning a new generation of nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines to strengthen its deterrent force.”

Hypersonic Weapons RaceBy Keith Button, Aerospace America: “Flying faster than Mach 5 could be a handy way to travel, but for the leaders in this field — China, Russia and the U.S. — the emphasis has shifted to weapons.

Pentagon recently completed a sweeping review of Special Operations Forces…

According to The New York Times, the Secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff want options by mid-June that will strike more of a sustainable balance between rising security challenges and the current op-tempo for counter terrorism missions.

But with rising strategic challenges coming from Russia, Iran and North Korea as well as China’s expanding Military presence and a persistent threat from terrorism, can US Special Operations Forces afford to slow down?

According to Retired Special Forces Colonel David Maxwell, ‘If there is a war in North Korea and/or Iran (God forbid) it will create an even more complex problem for USSOCOM than has existed for the entire war on terrorism.’​

Army's Plans for New Lightweight Mobile Protected Firepower By Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven: “Long-range precision fire, coordinated air-ground assault, mechanized force-on-force armored vehicle attacks and drone threats are all changing so quickly that maneuvering U.S. Army infantry now needs improved firepower to advance on major adversaries in war.”

New Army 'Vision': LRPF, Hypersonics & Artillery By Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven: “While discussing the Army Vision, an integral component of the service’s recently competed Modernization Strategy, Secretary of the Army Mark Esper cited long-range precision fire as a “number one priority” for the Army.

Mattis Lays Out U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy at Shangri-La By Euan Graham, the interpreter: “While Mattis’s speech will be analyzed most acutely, it was striking how many defense ministers, including Singapore’s Ng Eng Hen, went out of their way to flag China’s stepped-up militarization of the South China Sea as cause for strategic concern.”

F-35 to 2070? By Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven: “Flying the F-35 all the way to 2070, blocking enemy missiles in mid-flight and using AI to quickly assist precision-guided weapons are all technologies which increasingly hinge upon rapid software development – inspiring Air Force leaders to say “software” will determine who wins future wars.”

Time to Launch a Combined Maritime Task Force for the Pacific By Eric Sayers, War on the Rocks: “The United States needs new ideas to generate regional balancing against Chinese behavior while simultaneously deterring future actions like the consolidation of control at disputed features like Scarborough Shoal.”

Time Is Now to Advance U.S.-India Defense Cooperation By Arvind Thakur & Michael Padgett, National Defense Magazine: “Many recent articles have commented on the potential benefits of a new, closer U.S. defense relationship with India. The details of what will constitute the new relationship is still an unanswered question.”